English 150 Placement

Placement Policies

NOTE: The First-Year Composition Program became the ISUComm Foundation Courses Program beginning in Fall 2007. As part of this process, English 104 and 105 have been renumbered (English 150 and 250); refocused from an emphasis on writing-only to an integration of written, oral, visual, and electronic communication (WOVE); and restructured (shifting the second course to the sophomore level).

English Placement Policies for Students whose First Language is not English

Students whose first language is not English must refer to the English Placement Test (EPT) website for further information on the placement policies they must follow at Iowa State University. This policy includes students with ACT-E/SAT-V scores and students with transfer credit for English 150 and 250. If you have any general questions about the EPT or specific questions about a student’s placement, please contact the EPT Office at ept@iastate.edu or call Zhi Li at 294-6398. If you have other questions, please contact Professor Volker Hegelheimer at 294-2282, volkerh@iastate.edu.

Automatic Exemptions from English 150

Students can be exempted from English 150 and receive 3 hours of “T” credit for 150 if they meet one of the following criteria AND receive a “C” or better in English 250 taken at Iowa State University:

If using ACT-E scores: ACT-E score of 24 or higher OR ACT-E score of 23 and high school rank of at least 75% or higher.

If using SAT-V scores: SAT-V score of 550 or higher OR SAT-V score of 540 and high school rank of at least 75% or higher.

NOTE:

ACT-E/SAT-V score must be an official score (not an unofficial self-report score), and high school rank must be the final rank (not an action rank). Students with only self-report scores and action ranks must be placed into English 150 unless they pass the English 150 Placement Assessment.

Students who do not have a high school rank but do have an ACT-E of 23 or SAT-V of 540 must take English 150 unless they pass the English 150 Placement Assessment.

We do not attach English 150 “T” credit to courses taken at other colleges or universities. Therefore, students who take English 250 at a college or university other than ISU forfeit their English 150 exemption. Students who come to ISU with credit for English 250, but not credit for English 150, will be advised to take an advanced communication course (English 275, 302, 309, 312, 313, or 314) to complete their sequence of composition courses. Before this is done, they must receive written approval (waiver) from the ISUComm Foundation Courses office and permission from their adviser.

Advanced Placement (AP) Credit for English 150

English Language and Composition Exam. Students who earn a score of 3 or better receive credit by examination for English 150.

English Literature and Composition Exam. Students who earn a score of 4 or better receive credit by examination for English 150. Students who have already placed into English 250 because of an ACT-E or SAT-V scores will receive 3 credits of 100 Literature.

Students do not receive credit for English 250 based on Advanced Placement (AP) Exam scores.

The above exemptions affects not only new students, but also current students who have not yet fulfilled their ISUComm Foundation Courses requirement.

English 150 Placement Assessment

This is a test that allows students an opportunity to challenge their placement in English 150 if students’ ACT-E/SAT-V scores are not high enough to automatically place them in English 250. Students are given 30 minutes to plan and write an essay on a prompt the ISUComm Foundation Courses Director has prepared. There is no fee to take the English 150 Placement Assessment.

The English 150 Placement Assessment will be administered by the Testing Office in January, April, June, July, August, and November. Students are to contact their college advising office for actual dates of the English 150 Placement Assessment. If a student demonstrates sufficiently advanced writing skills, student is placed in English 250. Listed below are the skills required for such a placement.

Relevant examples and details to back up assertions.

Good organization—sense of development and generally unified paragraphs.

NOTE: Students who are exempted from or who place out of English 150 will receive 3 hours of “T” credit for English 150 only if they take English 250 at Iowa State University and receive at least a “C” in the course. English 250 must normally be completed by the end of the student’s sophomore year.

Who must take the English 150 Placement Assessment?

NativeEnglish-speaking students with an ACT-E below 16 or SAT-V below 410. These students must take the English 150 Placement Assessment to determine if they need additional help while they are in English 150.

Non-native English-speaking students who graduated from a U.S. high school (including Puerto Rico high schools) with an ACT-E below 16 or SAT-V below 410 must take the English Placement Test (EPT) for Non-Native Speakers of English.

U.S. students without ACT-E or SAT-V scores.

Students automatically placed in English 150 who want to challenge their placement. Students whose ACT-E or SAT-V scores do not warrant automatic placement in English 250 may take the English 150 Placement Assessment.

NOTE:

ACT-E/SAT-V score must be an official score (not an unofficial self-report score), and high school rank must be the final rank (not an action rank). Students with only self-report scores and action ranks must be placed into English 150 unless they pass the English 150 Placement Assessment.

Students cannot take the English 150 Placement Assessment if they are or have enrolled in English 150. If a student does not pass English 150, the course must be retaken, and the student cannot take the English 150 Placement Assessment.

Students may take the English 150 Placement Assessment only once.

Students cannot take the English 150 Placement Assessment if they have taken English 250 but have no credit for English 150. The English 150 Placement Assessment is only for students who have been placed directly into English 150 due to ACT-E/SAT-V scores or with no scores at all.

The English 150 Placement Assessment is only offered during orientation testing sessions (January, April, June, July, August, and November).

How are the results of the English 150 Placement Assessment used?

Students who demonstrate sufficiently advanced writing skills are placed in English 250.

Students placed in English 150 who are identified as “marginal” by their score on the English 150 Placement Assessment will receive an email approximately 24 hours after they have taken the 150 Placement Assessment instructing them to go to AccessPlus for a personal message. The message will inform the student that they should arrange for concurrent tutoring at the Writing and Media Center (300 Carver Hall, 294-5411) during their 150 semester. Students will also receive a reminder message just prior to the start of the semester of their need for additional support in 150. The Writing and Media Center is a free service available to all ISU students.

NOTE: Non-native speakers of English who graduated from a U.S. high school (including Puerto Rico high schools) who are identified as “marginal” will be required to take the English Placement Test (EPT) for Non-Native Speakers of English

When does English 150 “T” credit appear on the student’s transcript?

English 150 “T” credit is recorded on a student’s transcript after the student receives a “C“ or better in English 250 taken at Iowa State University. We do not attach English 150 “T” credit to courses taken at other colleges or universities.

If the 3 “T” credits for English 150 do not appear on the student’s permanent record, contact ISUComm Foundation Courses secretary, Deanna Stumbo, at 294-3516 or via email at stumbo@iastate.edu.

How can students lose their exemption from English 150?

Students who do not earn a “C “or better on their first try in English 250 or who drop English 250 on their first try may repeat English 250 to earn a “C” or better and still receive “T” credit for English 150. Students who do not earn a grade of “C” or higher after two tries forfeit their exemption. At that point, they need to enroll in English 150

We do not attach English 150 “T” credit to courses taken at other colleges or universities. Therefore, students who take English 250 at a college or university other than ISU forfeit their English 150 exemption. Students who come to ISU with credit for English 250, but not credit for English 150, will be advised to take an advanced communication course (English 275, 302, 309, 312, 313, or 314) to complete their sequence of composition courses. Before this is done, they must receive written approval (waiver) from the ISUComm Foundation Courses office and permission from their adviser.